Apparatus for protecting ships against torpedo attacks.



J. L- ALEMANY.

APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING SHIPS AGAINST TORPEDO ATTACKS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6| 1917.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L5 A a[ AN/1511170 awna emmy By I M ATTORNEYS J. L. ALEMANY.

APPARATUS FOR P ROTECTING SHIPS AGAINST TOITPEDO ATTACKS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6,1917.

1,260,12L Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

mum r01? dllavma Ad'emam J. L. ALEMANY.

APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING SHIPS AGAINST TORPEDO ATTACKS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6.1917.

LQGO, 1 21 Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I: mlllll v I A illl IIVVEIVTOR JLdawmz Alem my ATTORNEYS WITNESSnisrrnn strains FAEENT QFFEQEQ JosnLLAvINA ALEMANY,-OF SAN-GERMAN,PoR'roRIoo;

APPARATUS"FOR'PROTEUTING SHIPS AGA'INST TO RPEDO"ATTACKS;

T0 all whom itmay conce'rnaw t Be it known that-I; Josii-LnnvmnAnn MANY,asuhject. of the King o-f' Spainga-nd andexact descriptiomw Among theprincipal obje'cts- -'wl11ch :the

Specification of Letters Patent;

1917. Serial No. 178,916.

Patented'Mar. 19, 1918.

thereofi a falsehow 16. The bow lohasa -cut ivater l'i', which-"isreinforced by a filler 18.

Kwater 517-.

As shownbest in Figs. 11 and 7 of the -d-rawing's,;an open space 19-remains between the hull oithe ship andthe sides oft-he cutPivotallyattached.to the out water 17' are p *linlnPlatesQO.The-platesQO have pivotpresentrinventi'on has in vieware:='1o avoidally'attached thereto fenders 21. The fend-- retarding the headway of aship when pro -wers 21 constitutestriking walls-which an vided'avith anapparatusroi the characteryfioifensivetorpedo? would engage if fired anmentioned; to dispose :saichapparatus rap the ship"'PrOVided-"with thetenders 21 idly in service "relation ;--to accom'modatethe' The fenders21 are -connected w'ith the:

docking facilities-affordedshipsin :harhors-; link platesby meansotpivots 22, whichI---'- and to' manufa'cture v the apparatus at arepermits the said plates to raise and lower duced cost. at the rear or1n the wake'of the sh1p as Drawings.

shown-best -in' dotted lines in Fign2gof the 1 drawings. *=.The fenders21' are constructed Figure 1flis a-plan view of an apparatus 'of thinmetal sufliciently- 'flexible 'to fold of the charact'errmentionechconstructed and -a ainst the sides of the ship, and to assumearranged.innaccordanceiwiththe presen t m the shape thereof whenthey are"a-llowed toz venti'on'; showingin conjunction therewith, approach theship -Thi is th iti the ship towhic'h it is applied;

Fig. '2' is'a side view of the sam'eg Fig. 8 is 'a cr-oss section-ofthes'am'e; the section being taken a's on the l-ine -3 3- in Fig'l;

Figi' isan enlarged deta'il 'view in section, showing the v ap ar tnshyfulhand which the saidfenders" assume wheninactive,-and inthis positionthey do not retard "the speed of the ship. a

171 In the active position the tenders are held away from the "sides of:the ship by thrust rods :The rods 23 have hookends; the lower-hook endof each rod' enter-ing' a dotted' linesin' its active andinactive'"posisocket "or eyelet- 24. The rods -23 pass Fig. 9 is a detail view showingon an em larged scale a portion of the modified form of the protectingbelt;

F ig. 10 is a detail view showing portions of the modified form of thebelt in their disassociated relation.

Description.

through socketsor eyelets-'25 on the'shipy --and'=at'the edgeof the'bulwarks thereof In service; the rods'23 operate as braces for holdingthe fenders away from the side 7 hended by cables 2'6. The cabl'esflfiare supported by pulleys Q/i" at the outer-ends f 0f booms 28. Thecables' 26' are carriedin- 29 aiid30.

The cabl'es 26 are wrappedon the winches 29 and 30; to entena'bove andbelow the sameyrespectively; The winc'hes 29 and 30 are disposed inpairs on the shafts 31. Th'fShaft'sSI are eachdrivenby an"elect'rimmotor 32 or other suitable prime mover. By means of thewinches 29 and 30 and apparatus connected therewith, the depth at whichthe tenders 21 are disposed in active service may be regulated, or saidfenders may be lifted clear of the water.

The booms 28 are slidably mounted in runways 33 and any suitable meansfor ex- As seen in the drawings, to embody the tending and retractingthe booms 28 may be present invention, a ship 15 has rigidly attachedthereto and just forward of the prow employed.

To hold the rear ends of the tenders 21 properly extended, there isprovided a two- 2 member spreader rod 34. The spreader rod 34 is jointedat the center by a turnbuckle 35, which may be operated from the sternof the ship, employing therefor any'suitable and convenient means. Aflexible shaft with a turning crank may be employed for the purpose ofreleasing the turnbuckle 35 to permit the rods 34: to part and allow thefenders 21 to assume their inactive position close to and in contactwith the side of the ship.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10, a modified form of the fenders 21 is disclosed.The modification consists in providing av series of separable plates 36.The plates 36 are provided with hinge knuckles 37, which are joined bymeans of pintle bolts 38. The pintle bolts 38 are permanently secured tothe thrust rods 39. The rods 39 when lifted withdraw the pintle pins 38from the.

knuckles 37, and allow the individual plates 36 to be lifted by thecables 22 to the deck of the ship if desired to be there stowed.

Claims.

1. An apparatus as characterized comprising a plurality of thin metalwalls related to said booms for controlling cables guided over theends'of said booms; means for rotating said winches at will; a pluralityof fender bars flexibly connecting said walls and the hull of the ship,said bars being adapted for elevation above the deck of the ship forpermitting the approach of said walls tothe sidesof said ship; andspreader rods attached to and extended between the rear ends ofsaidwalls for main-.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for disconnecting said members,

4. An apparatus as characterized, com.

ship, said means embodying a plurality of' ing adapted for elevationabove thedeckof the ship for permitting the approach of said walls tothe sides of said ship; and spreader rods attached to and extendedbetween the rear ends of said walls for maintaining the spaced relationthereof, said spreader rods being formed of a plurality of membersdetachably connected.

'8. An apparatus as characterizedecomprising a plurality of thin metalwalls adapted to assume the curvature of the side of a ship; means forsuspending said walls in spaced relation to the sides of said ship,

said means embodying a plurality of hoisting devices permanently mountedon the hull of the ship, said devices employing aseries of boomsadjustably extensible from the sides of said ship, and winches suitablyrelated to said booms for controlling cables guided over the ends ofsaid booms; means for rotating said winches at will; a plural- V ity offender bars flexibly connecting said walls and the hull of the ship,said bars being adapted for elevation above the deck of the ship forpermitting the approach of said walls to the sides of said ship;spreader rods attached to and extended between the rear ends of saidwalls for maintaining the spaced relation thereof, said spreaderrods'being formed of a plurality of members detachably connected; andmeansfor prising a plurality of flexible thin walls adapted for verticaldisposition in the path of a torpedo; and *means for pivotally mountingthe same in advance of the prow of a ship, said means embodying pivotsfor permitting unrestricted vertical movement of the rear ends of saidthin walls.

JOSE LLAVINA ALEMANY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington,13. 9,"

